Jim has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Penn and an M.A. in Medieval Archaeology from the University of York (England). His Ph.D. dissertation, entitled "Assessing Political Complexity in Medieval England: An Analysis of Royal Buildings and Strategies," sought to understand medieval England's political development through an analysis of material remains. He argued that medieval England's political organization was represented by the approximately 650 royal buildings that existed between AD 1066 and 1650, and he provided an analysis of the royal strategies that pertained to these structures.

He is an anthropological and medieval archaeologist who specializes in the study of social complexity, spatial analysis, fortifications, and experimental archaeology. His digital humanities and research interests, publications, and field experience include work in England, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy, Ukraine, Syria, Tunisia, Guatemala, Belize, and the United States. A former Editor of the Penn Museum's Expedition magazine, he now oversees the Museum's collections staff (archivists, conservators, keepers, and registrars), publications program (monographs), and digital media center (website and digital media content development, digitization lab, and photo studio) as the Head of Collections, Publications, and Digital Media at the Penn Museum.